This Is Going to Hurt
by Kylarkallana
Summary: naughty words and drugs. COMPLETE A girl gets thrown into a crazy dimension and Koenma drags in the team.
1. Disclaimer

Ok Disclaimer! Yay! Happy fun disclaimer time!!!! I really wish I could just put this stuff on my profile and be like..I don't own shit! But NO that would be too damn simple!!!!! ~End Author Rant~  
  
Ok.now for the real disclaimer. I don't own any of the YYH characters yada yada yada. I do own Coriander (Cori) so if you steal her I will be forced to KILL YOU ALL!!!! Lol.not that anything I write is actually worth stealing. :P  
  
Ok.and let's see.this is not a romance fic! Yay!!! Um..it's rating is for excessive swearing and blatant mary juana usage. So if any of that offends you, don't bother reading, because if you flame me for it..I will be forced to KILL YOU ALL!!!!  
  
Sorry, my roommate's pissing me off, so I'm kinda in a homicidal crazy mood!  
  
OH and I know the title sucks. I couldn't think of anything to call it really, so I just used the first line of the story minus the swear word.  
  
Oh! And things surrounded by these little things ~ ~ (BTW those are called tildas if anyone cares) are thoughts just like in the Keeper of the Elements that's kind of an embarrassing story.I may just make it ridiculous by adding a Scooby Doo ending.perhaps perhaps perhaps  
  
Damn this is a long Disclaimer. And I say Oh and Ok A LOT. Sorry! (  
  
I think that's it.if I remember anything else, I'll add it to the beginning of a chapter. 


	2. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~  
  
~Shit this is really going to hurt.~ Was all Cori could think as the pavement approached her swiftly.  
  
She awoke with a start in a sterile looking bedroom that she had never seen before. Her skateboard was lying across her stomach. The first thing she noticed was how gray everything was. She looked down and even her clothes had become gray and formless. The color on her skateboard stuck out almost garishly in comparison with the rest of the room. She got up and moved to a small mirror on the wall. Her face looked the same. Light brown hair and blue-gray eyes, but she looked a bit washed out, like she hadn't been in the sun for a long time.  
  
Cori's eyes flicked to her dresser. There was a small photograph of her and a guy she'd never met before in her life. She moved to the closet hoping to find anything but gray and groaned as she saw row upon row of shapeless gray cotton shirts and long, loose cotton "Skirts?!" she almost cried. "Oh this truly is hell!" She opened the door to her bedroom to reveal a narrow hallway branching off into a bathroom, sitting area, and kitchen. The whole layout gave Cori the feeling of living in a metal box. There were no windows anywhere. Light was produced from uncovered fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling. ~Those are going to give me head aches in no time.~ The whole effect was a sterile metal box. ~I feel like a fucking lab rat.~ she grumbled to herself.  
  
Cori moved into the kitchen. A calendar hung in the kitchen under a clock. September 20, 2003. It was the right day, but this wasn't her apartment, these weren't her clothes, that wasn't her boyfriend, and she really hated gray. She sat at the table, trying to figure out what could have happened.  
  
Someone knocked softly on the door.  
  
"Come in." She grunted absently.  
  
The guy from the photograph entered. "Coriander?" ~Since when has ANYONE called me by my full name?~ "Are you ok?" He asked a bit condescendingly. ~Why would I be with this jack ass?!~ "You weren't in class." He was accusing her now. ~Ok. Now I know two things. I'm supposed to be in class and I really don't like this guy.~  
  
She smiled disarmingly. ~I might as well get some info.~ "I fell and knocked myself out for a few hours. I just woke up."  
  
"Ok." He accepted the answer. ~Moron~  
  
"Can you tell me where I'm supposed to be next? I'm a bit disoriented." She asked sweetly. ~I really wanna puke all over that hideous gray shirt of yours.~  
  
He cocked an eyebrow and if at all possible his nose went even higher. "You SHOULD be at work in an hour. I SUGGEST you shower and get there." He gave her a cold peck on the cheek and turned to leave.  
  
Cori's eyes flashed. ~Is this guy REALLY that stupid??~ "Thank you. And by the way, whatever relationship we supposedly had, well it's over." She slammed the door in his face. "Asshole." She muttered and walked back to her room. ~Well I still don't know where the hell I work, but a shower's not a bad idea. At least until this nightmare is over.~  
  
Someone else knocked on the door as she was towel drying her short hair. "Come in!" She called.  
  
It was a girl this time. Cori had done some research in "her" room and knew that this was Katherine. "Ready for work?" Katherine asked politely.  
  
"Yeah just let me throw on some shoes." Cori nodded.  
  
"Coriander-?" "her" friend began.  
  
"Cori. I don't like my full name."  
  
Katherine looked at her quizzically a moment and then continued. "Is it true you ended things with Jonathon?"  
  
"Yes. He was pissing me off and bad things happen when I get angry." Cori shrugged and grabbed her bag. "Let's go."  
  
"What's angry?" Katherine asked.  
  
Cori paused. * insert anime eye twitch here * "Forget it." Cori turned to the door again.  
  
"But you can't just end it. You two were matched." Katherine said wide-eyed.  
  
"What?!" Cori almost laughed. "There's no way in hell I'm going to marry someone I didn't choose. Especially not a stuck-up prick like that!"  
  
Katherine just stared at her, open-mouthed as they exited. Cori started coughing as she inhaled the heavily polluted air. ~And I thought New York was bad.~ Katherine had put on a portable oxygen mask. Cori dug in her bag and found an identical one. ~This is fucking ridiculous.~ she fumed. A lamp post cracked unnoticed by either of them. Katherine apparently drove a large SUV. ~No wonder the environment's gone to pot. Mmm.Pot. I wonder if they have it here..Wherever here is.~  
  
They took off the masks in the car. "What were those words?" Katherine asked. "Hell, prick."  
  
Cori stared at her. "You don't swear here?"  
  
"Swearing is undesirable. Only the inferiors know how to swear."  
  
Cori sighed. ~This really is hell.~ "Hell is a place were evil people go when they die." She explained.  
  
"Oh! So it's another word for heck!" Katherine smiled innocently.  
  
"Uh..Yeah.Exactly." Cori smiled. "And prick..well that's something you can call a guy when he's not being very nice. You can also use bastard, dickhead, son of a bitch. Asshole and Jackass are pretty non gender oriented. And bitch is for girls." Cori explained the fundamentals.  
  
"What do you mean when someone's not nice?" Katherine asked.  
  
"Hasn't anyone ever said something to you to make you feel inferior?" Cori asked.  
  
"Well my brother and father used to tell me I was inferior to them for being a girl. But that's true. Girls aren't as strong or smart. We're really best staying at home raising children and letting the husband work."  
  
Cori's eye started twitching again. ~I wouldn't be so upset if she didn't believe every word of it.~ "Girls can be just as strong and intelligent as men! Some can even be better." Cori protested.  
  
"Maybe you." Katherine shrugged. "You were one of ten girls allowed to attend University. Not all of us can be smart."  
  
Cori gaped. "Kat. May I call you Kat? No one can tell you what to believe about yourself. I know that if you hadn't been discouraged from birth, you would be in University with me. Many more women could recognize their full potential if they allowed themselves to."  
  
"You can call me Kat. But don't say those things too loudly. You'll get arrested." Katherine hissed.  
  
Cori didn't know what to say.  
  
Apparently, Cori worked in a textile factory part time. It reminded her of pictures she'd seen in history books of the industrial revolution where rows of women bent over machines producing vast amounts of fabric. Cori stood next to Kat and they began the work quickly and monotonously. ~Damn these people are crazy. Maybe I should see if I can get to Canada.~ Cory thought as gray thread ran through her fingers. The foreman stalked up and down rows terrorizing the girls under his direction. Cori felt angry bile rise in her throat as she saw all the girls meekly bow their heads to his torrent of verbal abuse. ~They can't honestly believe all this crap about male superiority.~ The machine Cori was working at began to smoke and the girls all jumped back from it. The gears ground to a halt and it sat there smoking.  
  
"What did you do you stupid girl?" The foreman demanded of her.  
  
Cori glared at him and the machine burst into flames.  
  
"What do you think you're doing? Looking at me like I'm your equal. Get in there and put out that fire or I'll have you on the streets." He sneered.  
  
Cori smirked. "You are not my equal. You are inferior to me. Wrapped in your blanket of ignorance, you have lost all shreds of humanity. You are worse than the lowest dog."  
  
He grabbed her arm and started dragging her away. "That's it you're out of here." He snarled.  
  
Cori jerked her arm out of his grasp. "Don't you dare touch me." She hissed and kicked him in the back of the knees and his legs crumpled underneath him.  
  
Cori felt a sharp stab of pain in her leg and blacked out. 


	3. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2~  
  
Cori woke up with a splitting headache in what she quickly figured out was a jail cell.  
  
"Gah!" She grunted, pushing herself to a sitting position against the wall and holding her head. "Fucking A!"  
  
"Welcome back to the land of the living." A female voice came from the corner.  
  
"I think I would have preferred staying where I was." Cori chuckled ruefully. The voice chuckled too.  
  
A face materialized in the gloom. There was a woman about 25 years old with long black hair and bright, intelligent eyes.  
  
"You're not like the others." Cori murmured.  
  
"If I were I wouldn't be here and if you were you wouldn't be here either." The woman smirked sardonically. "Empty headed ninnies all of them. They're engineered that way. Every once in awhile a fluke comes up and they produce a child with abnormally vibrant hair or a female with unusual intelligence and spirit. I'm one of those and you appear to be as well."  
  
"Engineered?" Cori asked blankly.  
  
"Genetically. They tamper with the embryo before transferring it from test tube to mother."  
  
Cori shuddered. "That's fucked up. Give me the old fashioned way any day. It's much more fun." She chuckled and the woman flashed a smile. "I'm Cori. What's your name?"  
  
"Cassandra. It's a burden." She grumbled.  
  
"Mind if I just call you Cass?" Cori asked.  
  
"Fine by me."  
  
"Ok Cass. What are you in for?" Cori grinned.  
  
"Swearing in church." Cori blinked and then let out a howl of laughter until she realized her head still hurt.  
  
"Damn. I knew people were crazy, but damn!" Cori laughed to prevent herself from thinking to much about the situation.  
  
Cass chuckled. "What are you here for?"  
  
"Well my boss was pissing me off, so I told him off and kicked him in the back of the knees and the next thing I know, I'm here." She shrugged.  
  
Cass stared at her. "You really aren't from around her are you?"  
  
Cori chuckled. "Honey, you have no idea."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Koenma called in his detective team. When they had assembled, he gave them their assignment.  
  
"A portal to another dimension has appeared somewhere in the city. A woman by the name of Coriander fell through it and is now trapped in a parallel dimension." He began.  
  
"So can't she just hop back through the portal?" Yusuke interrupted.  
  
"Unfortunately it's not that easy. The dimension she's stuck in is so polluted, that occasionally, a portal opens to circulate air from cleaner dimensions. Sort of like a vacuum cleaner. The problem is the portal is only one way as much as we know of it right now. I need you four to find the portal. Hiei and Kurama, I need you to go through it and try to keep her from doing too much damage to herself or anyone else. Yusuke and Kuwabara will be your links to this dimension. You will all be equipped with these communication compacts." Koenma said distributing one to each of them.  
  
"So I'm expected to jump through a one-way portal to help someone I have no connection to." Hiei grumbled. "I really hate you Koenma."  
  
"I know. Oh and Hiei. Try not to fight with her too much." Koenma said as a dismissal.  
  
"So in a city of several million, we have to find a portal to another city of several million where you two have to find one person that he didn't even show us a picture of. Is it just me or does Koenma get vaguer as time goes on?" Yusuke ranted.  
  
Kurama chuckled, Hiei smirked, and Kuwabara was playing with his communication compact until Yusuke's butt started ringing. Hiei sighed in mild irritation at the buffoon. "I guess we'd better get searching."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Late that night, the door to Cass and Cori's cell opened and a guard walked in. "Coriander. You have been cleared of all charges against you. Your mate explained your condition." He said condescendingly.  
  
"I just bet he did." Cori muttered and Cass snickered. "Yo Cass. Here's my address. Stop by when you get out." Cori gave her friend a jaunty wink and followed the guard.  
  
Jonathon was waiting to take her home.  
  
"This isn't like you Coriander." He said as they walked to the car. "Please stop this silly behavior. I don't want to have to come here to pick up my mate again."  
  
Cori stopped. "Ok. I'm going to thank you for your help even though I didn't need it, I appreciate it. Now I'm going to go off. I am NOT your mate and my name's not fucking Coriander! It's Cori! And I am walking home." She struck off in what she hoped was the direction of her flat.  
  
Jonathon stared after her. "But we were paired." He started.  
  
Cori spun. "I don't give a flying fuck what some piece of shit paper has to say." Jonathon heard glass crack somewhere. "I think you're an arrogant, chauvinistic asshole and there's no way in all the circles of hell that I'm going to spend the rest of my life with a mentally and morally inferior jack ass like you." Cori surprised herself. She wasn't naturally an angry person, but everything about this place had a tendency to rub her drastically the wrong way.  
  
"But."  
  
"I don't love you and I will never be with you." Cori said quietly and started walking away.  
  
"What's love?"  
  
The question asked so simply had a profound effect on Cori. ~What kind of world doesn't even know love?~ "You know it when it comes. Let yourself open up to caring about those around you and it comes quite easily. It will manifest itself in many forms but it is all love." She said sadly and faded into the night. 


	4. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~  
  
Cori would have liked to take her time walking home, maybe climb a tree, but she wasn't sure how long the oxygen things lasted. She did pause however when she noticed that the trees seemed to have a strange texture. She reached out and touched the trunk of one. It was fake. She fingered the leaves. They were fake as well. The whole tree was made of plastic. In fact, once she started paying attention, she only saw one sickly looking real tree the whole way home. Something about that really creeped her out.  
  
The next day, Cori spent all of her free time in the library trying to find a copy of the laws of wherever she'd landed. She found the heavy volume buried in the tiny fiction section and stole it.  
  
At home, she flipped through the pages. The laws were identical to those of her world. There was nothing written on paper denying basic human rights. She began to have a sneaking suspicion that a few in power had slowly started implementing new "traditions" until the common people no longer saw the cage they'd built for themselves.  
  
"Well at least I have something to use in the event that I get arrested again." She sighed. ~I need to know more about who's in charge.~ She flipped on the TV for the first time. There was only one channel and it was playing TV Evangelists 24/7. Cori groaned. "I'm in hell!" (Not for the first or the last time.)  
  
Over the next six weeks, Cori got arrested two more times, but after making a rather dramatic show in her own defense in the court room, she was acquitted both times. She got a new job in a flower shop. Cass visited regularly and helped fill in the culture gaps. Kat and her mate Mike became regular visitors as well and slowly, Cori began to help them think for themselves.  
  
She found an old set of instruments in a pawnshop and remembered her punk band glory days back home fondly. When Mike informed her he could play guitar moderately well and Cass said she'd played drums, Cori sparked the "brilliant" idea of forming a band with the four of them and taught Kat how to play rhythm guitar while Cori played bass. It took her a few days to convince them to play punk the way it was supposed to be though. They were still bound by society's imposed inhibitions, but after a few weeks of practice, they sounded pretty good together.  
  
Cori was taking an evening stroll when she passed a high chain link fence with the words "Danger Keep Out" plastered all over it. In her experience, those signs always led to somewhere interesting and she quickly climbed the fence and followed the crumbling walk way down into a dark tunnel.  
  
Cori heard movement as she descended and she stopped. She could feel someone very nearby. "Hello?" She called into the echoing darkness. Her peripheral vision caught two hands on either side of her head, but she was too late to dodge. A thin piece of rope was being wound around her neck. She slammed her foot down on her attacker's and punched him in the face with the back of her fist. His hold loosened and she freed herself and spun to face him. Two more hands grabbed for her arms and she jerked herself free and kicked the other attacker in the groin. "The least you can do is tell me WHY you're attacking me." She grumbled.  
  
"You're one of them. They don't come down here for any good reasons." A third attacker hissed.  
  
Cori chuckled. "You should really learn not to judge people on appearances. I may look like one of them, but I most certainly am NOT one of them. I just saw all the Danger signs and my curiosity tugged me down here."  
  
"Curiosity? None of them are curious. Just cruel. Most of them have never even heard the word much less used it."  
  
"Maybe we should take her to the council."  
  
"Yeah. They can decide what to do."  
  
With that, Cori was dragged through the dark to a round, well-lit cave where a group of people sat conversing. She got the first glimpse of her attackers as well. Two appeared to be Native American and one was African American.  
  
"Finally some diversity!" She said brightly.  
  
"You do not fear us child?" A wise looking old black man asked.  
  
*** A/N I don't care if I'm not exactly PC here. African American is too long to type continuously so DEAL. ***  
  
"Why would I fear you? Already you have proven to have more humanity in you than those above who wrap themselves in ignorance and pride." Cori shrugged. "Plus. I'm not really from here. Where I'm from, white people were becoming a minority in the US and everyone had more personal freedoms and the pollution wasn't so dreadful. It wasn't perfect, but it's definitely better than this place."  
  
"It sounds perfect to me." A young redheaded woman sighed. "I was sent down here as a baby because of my hair. I would be content with a land where I could walk above ground with my head high."  
  
Cori smiled. "For awhile maybe. It's the human condition to try to make things better, to improve. Eventually, you would find the issues you wanted to fight for." Cori shrugged.  
  
"What is it you are fighting for?" The old man asked.  
  
"Well until I figure out a way to get home, I've been trying to wake up some of the younger generation. They're the most impressionable. A few are coming around, but it's a slow process."  
  
"Why bother?" The black guy who had tried to choke her scoffed.  
  
"Quite honestly I wasn't going to until I was asked what love was. I realized then that most of the problem was that the average person up there is more ignorant than cruel and like one of my teachers used to say, 'Ignorance is curable, and stupidity is chronic.'" She smiled her best smile at those assembled. ~Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.~ Many of the younger people chuckled and the older ones smiled indulgently so Cori breathed a little freer. "My name is Cori and I'm sorry if I disturbed any of you, but I can assure you, that unless you want to be known, your secret is safe with me."  
  
"I see no harm in this girl. I move to let her return to the surface and visit when she wishes." The old man said. Cori beamed at him.  
  
"I second." The redhead giggled.  
  
"All in favor?" Most said aye. "All opposed?" There were a few nays, but the vote was definitely in her favor.  
  
"Hopefully this will be a step towards freedom." The old man said quietly to her.  
  
"I hope so too grandfather." Cori said respectfully.  
  
"Tian. Kindly lead her back out." A young Asian man walked up to her and bowed slightly and smiled when she returned the gesture.  
  
He turned and they silently faded back into the dark.  
  
"Am I right in assuming your heritage is Japanese?" Cori asked as they walked.  
  
"My grandmother came here. We have tried to maintain some of the traditions of our homeland." Tian replied.  
  
Cori nodded. They talked of little things until they neared the entrance. Cori liked Tian. He was soothing. He did not judge but merely stated what he observed and he didn't ramble or babble about nothing. ~Steady.~ She decided and started formulating plans on how to fuse the two cultures slowly. If she got enough younger people fired up, there might be a possiblility. 


	5. CHapter 4

~Chapter 4~  
  
"Hey!" Kurama called Yusuke's compact. "We found the portal. It's at Avenue A and 14th." He told Yusuke.  
  
"Ok. Not a problem." Yusuke grinned.  
  
"Hiei and I are going in now. Just stay on standby. We may need you to throw some supplies in the portal."  
  
"Roger! Over and out!"  
  
"This is stupid." Hiei grumbled, not for the first time.  
  
"Let's just get it over with." They leapt through.  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
Cori was woken rather roughly when two guys dropped onto her stomach. "What the fuck?!" She shouted leaping up.  
  
"I think this may be the one." Kurama said dryly.  
  
"Hn." Hiei grunted.  
  
Cori dropped the book she was brandishing as she took in Kurama and Hiei's bold colors. "Oh thank all the divinities ever created!!! You guys are in color!!!" She enveloped them in a hug. She pulled back and studied them. "You're wearing the wrong KIND of color" She said carefully to Kurama. "But at least it's vivid." She grinned.  
  
"What do you mean? Wrong kind of color?" Kurama asked defensively.  
  
"Well, let's just say redheads should steer clear of pink and purple or a combination of the two. It clashes with the hair." She replied.  
  
Kurama blinked and Hiei smirked.  
  
"So who are you and all that rot?" She asked, sitting between them.  
  
"We were sent to help you cope until Koenma could find a way to reverse the portal and get you back to where you belong."  
  
* insert blank anime double blink here *  
  
"We have friends on the other side if you need anything for the time being." He continued. "We can contact them through this." He pulled out the compact.  
  
One of Cori's eyebrows quirked. ~A guy with a make up mirror.Ok.not gonna say anything..~ "What are your names?" She asked to stop herself from saying something about the mirror.  
  
"That's Hiei and I'm Kurama." The redhead replied.  
  
"I'm Cori." She replied. "Now show me how to work this thingy."  
  
Kurama demonstrated and the other end started ringing. "What's his name?" she hissed.  
  
"Yusuke."  
  
"Yo! Yusuke!" Cori called when he answered.  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"Apparently the chick you're supposed to be helping. Can you do me a huge wonderful fabulous favor?" She wheedled.  
  
He looked a bit nervous. "Depends on what it is."  
  
Cori smiled brightly at him. "Well would it be possible for you to go to my place and get a few items and toss them through?"  
  
"That's it?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll give you the address and you can call back when you get there."  
  
He sighed. "Fine."  
  
Cori gave him the address. Ten minutes of awkward silence later.  
  
"Yo!" Cori answered.  
  
"Where's the key?"  
  
"Go up the fire escape to the third floor. It's under the window ledge."  
  
"Roger!"  
  
"You don't talk much do you?" Cori said to Hiei.  
  
"I see no purpose to talk about nothing." He replied coldly.  
  
"Oh I commiserate completely, but there's gotta be some.." The compact rang again.  
  
"We're in." Yusuke said.  
  
"Fabulous." She grinned. "Ok go into the sleeping area and you'll see two laundry bags hanging on the closet door. Take one and go into the kitchen and empty my fridge and cabinets of food. The food here is horrendous and bland. Oh and don't forget the bag of..uh..oregano in the drawer next to the sink."  
  
Kuwabara took kitchen duty.  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Ok, go to the dresser next to the bed." Cori said. "You can basically shove all the clothes in the dresser into the laundry bag hanging on the door."  
  
Yusuke grabbed the bag and Cori remembered a bit too late about her "special" drawer. "Oh don't open the.." She sighed. "Drawer you just opened." She felt a blush creep up her face.  
  
"Whoa!" Yusuke gloated. "Kurama. Hiei. You guys are lucky. Check out this stuff I just found." Kurama and Hiei's curiosity got the better of them and the peeked over Cori's shoulder.  
  
Yusuke was displaying quite a collection of lingerie, flavored and scented oils, and even some paint on chocolate. Cori's face was beet red. "Please stop before I'm forced to kill you when I get back."  
  
Kurama and Hiei both blushed at the collection and turned away from the screen. Yusuke was howling with laughter. "The looks on your faces. There's nothing wrong with sexual liberation." He grinned ludely at Cori. "Do you want me to send these too?"  
  
"No! Just close the damn drawer!" she groaned. "All the others can be emptied into the bag though. Yusuke finished the task. "Oh! And I have some boxes of hair dye in the bathroom throw those in too and that should be it."  
  
"Ok." Yusuke said as he went into the bathroom. "I'll go chuck this in the portal and leave you three alone to get acquainted. You lucky dogs you!" he grinned wickedly.  
  
Cori groaned and laid back on the bed. "I'm in hell. Everyday just gets consecutively worse." She grumbled. "I just can't wait to wake up and realize this was all a bad dream." Kurama pinched her arm. "Ow!" She scowled at him.  
  
He chuckled. "You're awake."  
  
She grumbled something obscene under her breath and then laughed when her bags of stuff came crashing down on the dignified redhead.  
  
Cori grinned and picked up the bags and put them on the floor. She hurried to put the food away and had to glare at Hiei when he tried to take her ice cream. She put her clothes in drawers and sat contemplating her array of hair dyes.  
  
"hmm." She chewed on her lip. "What do I want to do with my hair?" She sighed. "I wish I knew how to do something that made my hair look like your's Hiei."  
  
He blinked. "Why?"  
  
"Cuz your hair looks wicked cool with that starburst and that great blue." She picked up a box of black hair dye and a jar of purple. "Yes black and purple will do." She nodded to herself.  
  
Hiei and Kurama watched as she streaked her hair black and purple in thick chunky strips. Hiei sniffed at the dye dubiously.  
  
"This stuff is supposed to change your hair color?" he asked.  
  
"Yessir it is." She finished coating the last chunk of hair and exited the bathroom. "You guys don't have to follow me around y'know. Do whatever you feel like. I warn you I only have one channel on the TV and it's TV evangelism catered to the needs of this specific culture." She grimaced.  
  
"In all honestly, we were sent here pretty blind. We don't know too much." Kurama admitted.  
  
"Gah!" Hiei shouted from the bathroom. "It won't come off my nose!"  
  
"Apparently you don't." Cori smirked in amusement. Cori started laughing at his attempts to scrub off the purple smudge. She took a bottle of alcohol from the medicine cabinet. "Hiei stop. I'll get it off for you. You're just making it worse." She chuckled and started scrubbing at his nose with a tissue.  
  
"Bleck!" Hiei backed away. "That stuff smells awful!" he wiped at his nose with his sleeve.  
  
"Well it did the trick." Cori shrugged. Hiei examined his nose closely in the mirror.  
  
"Hn. Stupid human stuff." He muttered.  
"AH-HA!" Cori shouted triumphantly. "I knew there was something not quite right about you two."  
  
Kurama chuckled. "You're astute. Most people assume Hiei just wears contact lenses and is a little punk."  
  
"Nah. He's definitely not a punk." Cori shook her head. "He's too bad ass. So what are you?" She asked Hiei.  
  
"Fire demon." He replied evenly.  
  
* blink blink * "Dare I ask what YOU are Kurama?"  
  
"I'm a fox demon that nearly died and possessed an unborn human child and stayed alive that way." He replied with a trace of a smile.  
  
* blink blink * * blink blink * "Riiiiiight..NOW I feel REALLY safe." Cori chuckled.  
  
"Our assignment was to protect you. We will do no harm." Kurama replied seriously.  
  
"Great. A smart ass fox demon slash human and a surly fire demon. Well I suppose I should be flattered that this Koenma guy is even bothering to help." Cori shrugged. "I mean. Why bother with some mislaid punk with no one to miss her?"  
  
"There has to be someone." Kurama insisted.  
  
"I have friends that may be sad for a few days before they got wrapped up in their lives. I have no family left to care." She shrugged and moved to the tub and started rinsing her hair.  
  
Both Hiei and Kurama watched her thoughtfully.  
  
She towel dried her hair and even Hiei had to admit it looked pretty cool. "Now I'm ready for that bag of oregano." She sighed.  
  
"We're a bit beyond euphemisms." Kurama smirked.  
  
"Fine. I'm going to get stoned. Are you going to join me?" 


	6. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5~  
  
They sat in her living room passing around the joint Cori had rolled. Cori and Hiei were laughing while Kurama's cheek started twitching in irritation.  
  
"So you're telling me that there are people that call you S-Su-S." Cori kept stumbling over his human name. "Sweetcheeks!" She said triumphantly and she and Hiei erupted into laughter at the murderous look on Kurama's face. "Ok Ok I'll stop. Sweetcheeks." She snorted in laughter again. "I'm sorry. Really." She was dashing tears from her eyes.  
  
"Hurry up and pass it." Hiei commanded her.  
  
"Look at this little stoner." Cori giggled. "Are you sure it's ok for demons to use this stuff?"  
  
"I really don't care." He grinned and took a puff.  
  
Kurama had to chuckle at the drastic mood change in Hiei.  
  
"Ok. But one thing I've been trying to figure out." Cori said seriously. "When I fell through the portal, I ended up waking up in that bed in all gray in the middle of someone else's life. How is it that you two are still in Technicolor so to speak and didn't find yourselves in someone else's life?"  
  
They were silent for a while. Kurama spoke first. "I don't know too much about parallel universes." He confessed. "But it's possible that it's because we don't have a counterpart in this one."  
  
"Wait!" Hiei's head shot up. They looked at him expectantly and then quizzically when he got up and started rummaging through the refrigerator. He returned munching contentedly on Cori's chocolate ice cream.  
  
"What were you going to say before being hit with the munchies?" Cori asked as evenly as she could, but a laugh still bubbled in her throat. Kurama snickered.  
  
"Huh? Oh! Yeah!" He shoved another spoonful in his mouth. "Well. Koenma was pretty specific on Yusuke and Kuwabara staying behind. So maybe it has something to do with the fact that we're demons so we wouldn't have a counter part on a human world. Yusuke and Kuwabara would have ended up in some other poor souls' bodies."  
  
Cori chewed on her lip. "That makes SOME sense. Whaddaya think Sweetcheeks?"  
  
Hiei laughed and sprayed ice cream all over them. "Ew!! Gross Hiei!" Cori yelled, getting up to get towels for her and Kurama.  
  
"It's your fault for making me laugh." He grumbled.  
  
Kurama calmly wiped himself down. "Hiei's theory has some validity." He admitted.  
  
Hiei had turned on the television and was watching the evangelists with rapt interest. Cori shook her head. "You really need to get out more Hiei."  
  
"Huh?" he said absently. He shoveled more ice cream into his mouth and kept his eyes glued to the screen.  
  
"He'll probably be like that most of the night." Kurama chuckled softly.  
  
"Well it's nice to know that he doesn't act so jaded all the time." She grinned back. Cori glanced enviously at Kurama's brilliant red locks. "You are so lucky." She muttered.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You have amazing hair. I've always had this annoying mousy color that just lies flat." She ran her fingers through her now colored bobbed hair. "And I can't dye it as much as I'd like too without some serious ramifications." She grinned.  
  
"I've never really thought about it." Kurama shrugged.  
  
Hiei started chuckling from his position two inches from the screen. "Right fox. You spend almost as much time preening as fighting." He grunted.  
  
Kurama blushed slightly under Cori's wicked grin. "I can't blame you." She chuckled. "I would too if I looked that good. You're prettier than most girls I've met."  
  
Hiei snorted in laughter and Kurama blushed again.  
  
"I love making boys blush." Cori giggled. "It's just so cute."  
  
Hiei laid back and yawned exposing most of his pointy teeth. "I can't believe people actually listen to this crap." He sat up and scratched his head and turned the TV off.  
  
Cori looked at the clock. "Damn it's getting late. I guess we'd better figure out some sleeping arrangements."  
  
"I'll just sleep in a tree outside." Hiei shrugged and headed to the door.  
  
"There aren't any real trees in this neighborhood." Cori informed him. "And if you go out without a mask you won't last long, demon or not."  
  
"It's that bad?" Kurama asked.  
  
Cori nodded and shuddered.  
  
They decided to rotate each night from bed to couch to floor and repeat. They drew lots for the bed, couch, or floor for the first night. Hiei got the bed, Kurama got the couch, and Cori was stuck with the floor. ~Figures.~ she chuckled to herself. She dug up some extra blankets and pillows and they settled in for the night. 


	7. Chapter 6

~Chapter 6~  
  
Hiei nearly had a heart attack when Cori's alarm clock went off. Kurama and Cori jerked awake when they heard him screaming.  
  
"DIE!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
They ran into the bedroom to see Hiei pulling his katana out of her desk where he'd sliced through the alarm clock.  
  
"It's just an alarm clock so I wake up in time to get things done." Cori said chuckling.  
  
"It's supposed to beep like that?" He asked poking at the remains.  
  
"Yes. Now I have to go and buy a new one." She grumbled good- naturedly. Kurama just shook his head and yawned.  
  
"You're a bit too high strung sometimes Hiei." He scratched his head.  
  
"Hn. Stupid human things." Was all Hiei would say.  
  
Cori got cleaned up and finally got to dress in clothes that she was comfortable in. She wore a tight black t-shirt with a skull and cross bones on it that came down to just above her belly button, baggy green cargo pants, and a pair of black converse high tops. She washed the boys' clothes while they got cleaned up and she dug up some spare oxygen masks and they went out to run some errands.  
  
They took a leisurely pace to the University, Hiei and Kurama walking and Cori skating idly next to them. They got a lot of stares and whispers from people on the street, especially when Cori decided to speed up and grind a rail or jump a flight of stairs.  
  
"Why do you ride that thing?" Hiei asked.  
  
"Why not?" Cori countered, stopping and kicking the board up into her hand.  
  
"It doesn't seem safe or sturdy." Hiei grunted.  
  
"And sleeping in trees is?" Cori grinned. "My personal safety happens to be quite low on my list of priorities."  
  
"Hn." ~There's no arguing with these stupid humans.~  
  
Kurama decided that although she didn't care about sturdiness, that's exactly how he would describe her. She wasn't thick, but her body was well toned from years of skating, fighting, and playing in bands. Her upper arms were thicker than most girls would like, but he assumed she didn't really care. The energy she exuded was that of confidence and dependability.  
  
They had reached the University.  
  
"What are we doing here?" Hiei asked, shifting uneasily as people walked by staring, pointing, or laughing at the three of them.  
  
"Well since I got arrested last time, I was expelled. I'm here to get my things from my locker." She replied calmly.  
  
"Arrested?" Kurama asked.  
  
"Yo! Cori!" Someone called from across the lawn.  
  
"Yo! Cass!" she grinned and waved.  
  
***A/N: Things surrounded by these things :: :: are sign language. Cori and Cass use it when they are discussing something they don't want to say out loud. ***  
  
::Nice Hair::  
  
::Thanks::  
  
::Who's the guy with the black hair? He's pretty cute::  
  
::Hiei:: Cori chuckled. "She thinks you're cute Hiei."  
  
::Don't tell him!::  
  
Cori chuckled again. "I just got yelled at for telling you." ::He's pretty surly:: she signed back to Cass.  
  
Cass shrugged. ::Who's the girl?::  
  
Cori burst out laughing.  
  
"What'd she say?" Hiei asked.  
  
"Yes. What?" Kurama added.  
  
"You don't want to know." She chuckled. ::HE is Kurama:: She returned. She saw Cass' eyes widen and she came up to the three of them.  
  
"Ok. Cass this is Kurama and Hiei. Guys, this is Cass. I met her the first time I got arrested." Cori introduced them.  
  
"Wow. Where do you find such good-looking males?" Cass asked.  
  
"Just lucky I guess." Cori grinned and turned to the guys. "Cass, like me, has rejected the mate chosen for her and she's on the prowl so you boys had better watch yourselves." She grinned.  
  
"Mate?" Hiei asked.  
  
"Arrested?" Kurama asked again.  
  
Cori chuckled. "Who should I answer first?"  
  
"How many times have you been arrested?" Kurama asked, a little dazed.  
  
"Three, but never convicted. They never changed the laws on paper, just instituted new 'traditions' so I've gotten off on technicalities." She replied calmly.  
  
"What's this mate business?" Hiei pressed.  
  
"Well, apparently children are paired on the first January 1st of their lives based on genetic compatibility. Basically, who will produce the most desirable children. Me and Cass found ours to be arrogant pricks so we dumped 'em." Cori grinned.  
  
"Uh-oh.Speak of the devil and he comes a-runnin." Cass murmured.  
  
"Mine happens to be a rather persistent arrogant prick." Cori sighed.  
  
"Coriander. Did you write the apologies and get back in?" He asked.  
  
"Hell no! I wasn't wrong. I'm just here to get my stuff." Cori snapped. The boy flinched at her swearing. "Yes I swore! I've gotten off on that charge before I can do it again." She pushed past him. "Hiei, Kurama, we can continue." She said over her shoulder.  
  
They took the hint and moved to follow her. Mistaking Kurama for a girl, Jonathon only harassed Hiei.  
  
"What do you think you're doing with my mate shorty?" He sneered and raised a hand to stop the glaring Hiei.  
  
Cori grabbed his wrist and twisted. Hard. Jonathon cried out in pain. "I am NOT your mate. Nor will I EVER be. And if you want me to let you go without breaking your hand off, you'll apologize for being so rude and leave us the hell alone." She said in a low, dangerous voice. Her eyes that were normally more blue than gray had turned steely. But Kurama noticed that anger wasn't radiating off her. She had become completely cold. She twisted harder when Jonathon hesitated.  
  
He cried out again. "I'm sorry." Tears sprung to his eyes.  
  
Cori released his wrist and pushed him away. He departed, cradling his wrist. "Stupid, spineless coward." Cori muttered.  
  
They got her remaining books and she went and bought a new alarm clock. Cass and Kurama chatted easily and Hiei walked silently beside Cass.  
  
"You didn't have to do that." He said finally. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."  
  
Cori chuckled. "I didn't do it for you. I was afraid the ignorant bastard would end up like my alarm clock."  
  
"Hn." Hiei smirked.  
  
Cori grinned easily at him. "You try so hard to be disagreeable to everyone, but I like you Hiei. In spite of yourself."  
  
"Hn." Hiei's smirk turned into a glare.  
  
Cori chuckled and bent and kissed his cheek. "You don't fool me."  
  
His glare deepened, but Cori just laughed and continued moving. "Stupid humans." He grumbled. 


	8. Chapter 7

~Chapter 7~  
  
Cori left the guys at home and went to work. Her boss took one look at her and sighed. "If you insist on looking like that, I'm going to have to keep you in the back working on arrangements and orders."  
  
Cori nodded. "Thank you for not firing me on the spot."  
  
"Not too many people are willing to work here. I have to take what weirdos I can get." He replied. "Clock in."  
  
She got home and, using the food Yusuke and Kuwabara had sent, managed to make a somewhat decent meal for them.  
  
"Any news on the portal thingy?" Cori asked.  
  
"Koenma says he's got a few leads, but nothing concrete." Kurama replied.  
  
"Who's this Koenma guy anyway?" Cori asked. She chuckled when they hesitated. "Come on. It can't be worse than you two can it?"  
  
"He's the rule of the Spirit World." Kurama said evenly.  
  
* blink blink * "Ok..so I was wrong." Cori laughed ruefully.  
  
They finished dinner and were lounging in the living room when Hiei's butt rang. Cori jumped up and grabbed the compact. "I wanna see this guy." She opened it. "Yo!" She answered.  
  
"Where's Hiei?" a toddler blinked up at her.  
  
* blink blink * "About five feet away glaring at me. You Koenma?" She asked.  
  
"Yes. I'm honestly surprised you didn't start laughing at my age. According to my files, you're a bigger punk than Yusuke." He replied.  
  
"I may be a punk, but I can be smart occasionally. Things aren't always what they seem. Take Hiei for example. He pretends to be this callous jerk, but deep, deep, deep, deep down, he's an ok guy." Cori chuckled again as Hiei's glare deepened. She stuck her tongue out at him and returned to Koenma. "So what's the news?"  
  
"Well the portals apparently only last for two months exactly. On the last day, it reverses flow and you can get back through. If you don't do it then, you'll probably never get out." Koenma told her.  
  
"That's a cheery thought." Cori said sarcastically. "You do realize the people here are crazy?"  
  
"That's one of the reasons I sent Hiei and Kurama. I didn't want you to blow things up when your temper got out of control." Koenma said.  
  
"I'm hardly a psychopath." Cori sniffed. "What are the other reasons?"  
  
"What?" Koenma asked.  
  
"You made a small Freudian slip. Said my temper was ONE of the reasons. What are the others?" She grinned.  
  
"What Dad? More Work? Ok! I have to go." He hung up.  
  
"Wait! Damn you Koenma!" Cori yelled into the compact. She was fuming when she handed the compact to Hiei. He was deliberately hiding useful information about her. Obviously something she didn't even know. "Argh!" She growled, frustrated. "Little bastard." And she went off on a verbal tirade that only made her feel angrier until the light in the room exploded.  
  
The three of them stared at the broken light fixture and then Hiei and Kurama stared at her. Cori was still staring at the light. She sat down slowly. Her eyes widened and she started shaking. She shook her head. "No" was all she would say. She got up suddenly. "I have to go for a walk. Alone." She said, turning her back to them and retrieving and oxygen mask.  
  
"Wait. What do you know about this?" Kurama asked.  
  
Cori spun and they say she was crying. "Nothing. If you want answers, ask the toddler. He seems to know more about me than I do." She spat bitterly and slammed the door behind her.  
  
Cori found herself at the entrance to the underground. She stopped a moment. She really didn't want to be with anyone right now. She walked into the dark a few yards and sat against the wall and cried. ~I didn't do it. Mother! I didn't know!~ She started remembering back to when she was 16.  
  
Kurama tried Koenma. He answered.  
  
"Cori just blew up a light fixture. What's going on?" Kurama asked.  
  
"This is the reason I didn't say anything. When her temper gets out of control, she starts to break things. Unintentionally of course. It hasn't happened since she was 16 and she didn't even know she did it back then." Koenma replied.  
  
"Did what? We really need you to be candid right now." Kurama sighed.  
  
"She got in a fight with her mother and unknowingly blew up the poor woman's heart." Koenma replied. "I didn't want to tell her about the power because she'd make the connection to her mother and lose track of the task at hand. One of you had better go find her though. If she's made the connection, she won't be entirely stable."  
  
Hiei stood. "I'll go. I should be able to watch her from a distance. Stalking's my specialty."  
  
Hiei followed her trail. The amount of emotion she was emitting made it easy to find her. He heard sniffling in the entrance of a dark tunnel and decided to wait outside for any sounds of trouble.  
  
Cori's nostrils flared at the smell of smoke and she stopped crying a moment. "Hiei?" She called to the entrance.  
  
His small frame appeared. "How'd you know?"  
  
"You smell like smoke." She smiled weakly when he sniffed at his cloak. "You can come in if you want. I promise I'll try not to blow you up."  
  
He sat down next to her. "Koenma told us about your mother."  
  
"I just made the connection." She sighed. "It really kinda sucks." She tried to keep her voice even, but a sob crept into it. She laid her head on Hiei's shoulder and continued to cry.  
  
"You're too hard on yourself." He tried to soothe her awkwardly. "You didn't know you could do it. You were kept ignorant of your potential and have suffered the consequences."  
  
"Being ignorant doesn't change the fact I did it." She sniffed and took a deep breath to calm herself. "And now I'm still ignorant. I don't know exactly how I do it. I just got mad and the light blew up. I have no control over it."  
  
Hiei smirked. "I can relate."  
  
Cori looked at him quizzically. He undid the bandage on his right arm to reveal the black dragon wrapped around it. "This is an incredibly powerful attack, that if I'm not careful, can completely destroy me." He sighed and wrapped his arm back up. "I've gained more control over it with practice. I can only suggest the same for you." She still looked upset. "Look." He sighed. "It's the only way you'll be able to prevent it from happening again." He felt her shudder at the thought. A few more tears leaked onto his cloak, but she had regained most of her composure. ~She's a fighter only when she has to be.~ he realized. ~She doesn't enjoy destruction and pain, but she recognizes the occasional necessity.~  
  
"We should go home." She said softly.  
  
"Fine." Hiei rose and she rose with him. They walked back to the house. "How many days left before two months is up?" Hiei asked, trying to turn her mind to a different topic.  
  
"Nine days starting tomorrow." She replied after a moment's thought. "I hope I can stay out of trouble until then." 


	9. Chapter 8

~Chapter 8~  
  
Kurama perked when he heard the door open. Cori and Hiei walked into the sitting room.  
  
"Hey kiddo." Kurama said softly.  
  
"Watch who you're callin kiddo." Cori smiled weakly. She laid down on the couch and put her head in Kurama's lap.  
  
"How are you doing?" he asked softly.  
  
"I'll be ok. It just sucks right now." She made another small smile that didn't reach her eyes. Kurama stroked her hair and Cori felt herself getting drowsy. She inhaled deeply. "You smell good." She mumbled.  
  
"I do?" Kurama smiled.  
  
"Mmhmm. Like roses." She faded off.  
  
When Kurama was sure she was asleep, he moved her to her bed and drew the blanket over her and returned to the sitting room and Hiei.  
  
"So what happened?" Kurama asked.  
  
"She cried." Hiei shuddered. "It was horrible."  
  
Kurama chuckled. "I take it she made the connection."  
  
Hiei nodded. "She's smarter than Koenma wants to give her credit for."  
  
"High praise from you." Kurama's eyebrows rose.  
  
"Hn." Hiei glared.  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Just that she's scared of having no control over herself. She's afraid she's going to hurt someone else." Hiei replied.  
  
Kurama nodded. "I may sleep on the floor in her bedroom tonight. Just in case she needs someone."  
  
"Hn." Hiei grunted. "Better you than me."  
  
Indeed, that night, Cori woke up trembling in fear. Kurama groggily sat next to her on the bed and tried to soothe her. She clung to him. This was so different from the mischievous, confident woman he'd known so far. Granted, she'd had to absorb a lot in the course of a few hours. Kurama knew he would be quite torn up if he found out he'd directly caused Shiori's death.  
  
Cori asked him to stay with her that night. "It's not sexual or anything." She blushed a little. "I just really need someone to hold onto tonight."  
  
Kurama got under the covers and let Cori use him as her life-sized teddy bear. She asked him about his family and he told her about Shiori and his stepfather. Then he recounted stories on how he'd met Hiei, Yusuke, and Kuwabara. He told her about some of their more amusing exploits and about Jin, Touya, Rinku and the rest. Some of them made her chuckle softly and she seemed soothed. He even pulled on of the roses out of his hair and gave it to her.  
  
Her eyebrows rose. "You keep roses in your hair?"  
  
"Among other plants, yes. They're my weapons." He explained. "I think roses have to be my favorite though." He said thoughtfully. "There's so much you can do with them."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
He smiled down at her. He felt like he was comforting a little sister. Her face had taken on an expression of innocence. He began to describe his various attacks that he used roses for.  
  
Their conversation turned to other things.  
  
"Is Kuwabara REALLY as dense as you claim?" Cori asked after one amusing anecdote.  
  
"You have no idea." Kurama smiled. "Hiei can't stand him. Those two are always bickering and we always have to break up a fight before Hiei kills him."  
  
"It sounds like his heart's in the right place, even if his head's not all there." Cori yawned and nuzzled her face into his shoulder. "You're like a big teddy bear." She chuckled. "Maybe I should call you.. Mr. Fluffles." She nodded.  
  
"If you do I will be forced to kill you." He said and shuddered. "And you think others are crazy. Look at yourself."  
  
Cori's smile finally reached her eyes. She stuck her tongue out at him. "Fine fox." She pouted and yawned and grew silent. Her breathing deepened and steadied.and he looked down to see her fast asleep. Sleep overcame Kurama soon after. 


	10. Chapter 9

~Chapter 9~  
  
They were woken by Hiei the next morning in the same position they'd fallen asleep in, Cori still clutching the rose. "Maybe I should come back later." Hiei smirked.  
  
Cori glared at him. "Get bent Hiei." She yawned.  
  
Kurama yawned and stretched. "I had to play teddy bear last night." He told Hiei.  
  
Hiei smirked again. "Better you than me."  
  
Cori and Kurama rolled out of bed and Cori disappeared into the bathroom.  
  
"Are you sure there's nothing there?" Hiei asked the groggy fox.  
  
Kurama glared at his friend. "She tried to call me Mr. Fluffles. You tell me if there's something there."  
  
Hiei blinked. "You're joking right?" Kurama shook his head sourly. Hiei burst out laughing. "Ok. You're right. Judging from that drawer Yusuke displayed, she'd be a bit more direct."  
  
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
  
The three of them were sitting down to lunch when Mike and Kat knocked. Cori let them in and introduced them to Hiei and Kurama. Mike and Kat looked unusually serious.  
  
"What's wrong?" Cori asked.  
  
"Well, Mike's just been drafted to go to France to fight a war against them." Kat said shakily.  
  
"I've never been a fan of the French honestly, but can either of you tell me why we're fighting them?" Cori asked.  
  
They both shook their heads.  
  
"Then you're not going." Cori said decisively.  
  
"What? But he's been." Kat began.  
  
"Look, I think it's time for a protest. You're mate isn't the only one who's going to be dragged off to fight for some greedy politicians. There will be more support now than ever." Cori explained, her eyes shining. "There's this sort of underground establishment on the edge of town. I know the owner and I'm pretty sure we could play there and start educating a larger crowd." She was already starting to think of the logistics of her plan.  
  
Hiei and Kurama wanted to warn her to stop. To remember she was supposed to leave in nine days, but they couldn't with Kat and Mike there.  
  
"We'll do it exactly one week from today. I'll start setting things up. We need to practice every night until then. I'll call Cass and tell her and I need you two to spread the word. Here's the address. Say it starts at 10pm."  
  
"Do you think this will work?" Mike asked hopefully.  
  
"If we get enough people. Remember, there are always more of us than them. Get enough of us to act together and we can't be stopped." Her eyes were gleaming.  
  
Kat and Mike left in better spirits and promised to return at 8.  
  
"Shouldn't you be keeping a LOW profile so you can get home?" Hiei asked a bit frustrated.  
  
Cori looked at him seriously. "Do you really think I can stand by and watch?"  
  
"Hn." ~I'll never understand her~  
  
Kurama cut in. "I understand where you are coming from Cori, however, you can't afford to be arrested right before you're due to catch the only portal home." He tried to reason with her.  
  
She nodded. "I understand your point, but this is something I have to do." She replied firmly.  
  
Cori called Cass and explained the situation. She called the bar and got permission to stage the protest and then she grabbed her bag and a mask "See you guys after work." And she left.  
  
Cori ran down the tunnel until she found the council room. She was greeted warmly. "I don't have much time." She panted. "I have to be at work. But one week from today at 10 pm, I'm staging a demonstration at Charlie's on the edge of town. I wanted to invite you all. You don't have to come, but I though you should at least know about it." She said good- bye and ran to work.  
  
Everyday started with Cori going to work and ended with band practice. 


	11. Chapter 10

~Chapter 10~  
  
The protest approached rapidly until it was 9:50 pm and they were doing last minute sound checks.  
  
10 pm: the place was empty.  
  
Cori sat, fidgeting nervously. Worse case scenario, no one would come and s he'd be in her own bed in two days she tried to convince herself.  
  
10:30 pm: still empty  
  
11:05 pm: Six people entered.  
  
11:30 pm: there ware over 50 people in the dingy bar and Cori's band had started playing.  
  
Cori gave a few speeches on some main issues that really bugged her about this culture and then Kat gave a heart-felt plea against a war none of them knew anything about.  
  
12:30 am: A group of young people from underground led by Tian entered the bar. She went up to them when the song ended. Many of the "normal" people stared uneasily at the newcomers, but a few brave souls attempted conversation after a bit.  
  
Cori resumed playing until a fight broke out between Broc (the black guy that had attacked her) and a boy from the university. She jumped down and jerked them apart.  
  
"You ignorant sons of bitches!" She growled. "If we can't stand united against the government then the message will never be heard. You have to show brains and organization to scare them. So put away your imagined differences and find out what you have in common or get the hell out." The fight settled and Cori jumped back to stage.  
  
2 am: the police finally found the place. Cori was singing the last chorus of NOFX's "the Idiots are Takin Over" (substituting Have for Are)  
  
****A/N: For full lyrics, see my bio. I know most people just skip over song lyrics and get back to the story.****  
  
"Enter the idiots." Cori smirked. A few chuckled, but most looked highly nervous. Cori maintained her air of calm. She jumped lightly off stage and approached the cops. "So what seems to be the problem officer?" She asked with a wicked gleam in her eye. She flicked the brim of the lead officer's hat.  
  
"As always, you." He sighed.  
  
"What law exactly am I breaking?" She asked innocently.  
  
"You are planning sedition and inciting revolution. You're under arrest." He cuffed her.  
  
"Wow, that's the first time you've told me what I'm being cuffed for. It must be serious." She grinned mischievously.  
  
"I trust you'll come calmly." He said.  
  
"Don't I always?" The cop sighed.  
  
"Everyone disperse!" He said to the crowd.  
  
No one was quite sure what to do.  
  
"Just go!" Cori said exasperated. "Violence doesn't make a protest, it makes a riot. This is a peaceful demonstration. Keep it that way."  
  
Cass got up and moved to the front of the crowd. She sat Indian style on the ground, hands folded neatly in front of her. Cori motioned for Hiei and Kurama to get out of there so they wouldn't get arrested. They nodded and slipped out. Kat, Mike, and Tian sat next to Cass. A group of people chose to leave, but many more than Cori had expected took seats on the floor, gazing calmly ahead. Cori grinned to herself. She could now go home knowing she'd had some small impact.  
  
"You guys take care of them." The officer holding Cori said. "I'll take her down." And she was led out.  
  
Cori was placed in a cell alone and fell asleep on the cot. She awoke sometime in the afternoon to Hiei's voice in her head. ~You miscounted. The portal's open NOW~ he informed her.  
  
~FUCK!!!! How the hell am I supposed to~ She remembered her ability. She started thinking of everything that had ever pissed her off in her entire life and felt her anger grow. She concentrated on the outside wall of the cell and it began to crack. It wasn't enough. She was fishing for anything. Koenma, Jonathon, the foreman from the factory, the knowledge that she was a mistake and responsible for ruining her mother's life. That was the clincher. Apparently anger at yourself worked the best. The wall crumbled and a wave of polluted air hit her. She pulled her shirt over her nose and mouth and started running. Desperation lent her speed as cops gave chase. Her vision was blurring as she dashed up the steps to her apartment. Hiei threw open the door and Cori ran to the bedroom with him.  
  
"You two first.' She said. They jumped through. She heard the cops coming up the stairs and entering the apartment. She grabbed the bag and.  
  
***A/N: hehe tacky I know. But *shrugs* I don't really care.*** 


	12. Chapter 11

~Chapter 11~  
  
Coriander awoke from the dream with a start. She looked around her room and breathed a sigh of relief. She got up for a drink of water and tripped over a pile of strange colored clothes. She scratched her head. She went to the bathroom and got a drink and then looked in the mirror. She jumped back. Her hair was purple and black. (A/N: Hey that rhymes! I didn't even mean it to. LOL I'm a poet and I didn't even know it! Ok sorry. On with the conclusion!)  
  
Coriander ran to the calendar in the kitchen. November 20th. She was wide eyed when she went to sit in the living room. There, a bass sat propped against a wall and a skateboard sat next to it.  
  
Coriander picked up the bass and started picking a few notes. She smiled when she recognized the pattern. 


	13. Chapter 12

~Chapter 12~  
  
Cori stretched and yawned and looked gratefully around her bright studio apartment. She laid in bed wondering if everything had been a dream. Something on the dresser caught her eye. There lay a single red rose and a note that simply said, 'You're awake.'  
  
Cori chuckled and found herself looking for the pair. Her face fell when she realized they no longer lived with her and she realized she was going to miss them.  
  
She never did see the two face to face again. Every once in awhile, she would catch a whiff of roses and turn just in time to see a flash of red disappear. It was nice to know they still checked in on her.  
  
In tribute to her two friends, Cori bought three hair dye colors: Candy apple red, as dark a blue as she could find, and as light a bleach as she could find. She streaked thick chunks of her hair the blue and red and then streaked the blue with thin stripes of white. Most people thought she was patriotic, but the two who mattered would know.  
  
Cori was walking through her neighborhood one day when she felt a familiar presence near by. "Stalking's illegal in this country, Hiei." She said with a small smile.  
  
Hiei didn't reply, but Cori could almost feel the small smile he returned. 


End file.
